Special to the Sun
Women’s Lunch Place (WLP) has launched its annual Mother’s Day Card Campaign. Each card supports a week of healthy lunches for a guest of their daytime shelter and advocacy center.
“Thirty years ago, our Mother’s Day cards were a way to raise money so we could open for an extra day––Mother’s Day,” said Paula White, Chief Development Officer at Women’s Lunch Place. “Mother’s Day is still the only Sunday each year that we open, but the cards have taken on a new life. People love to give and receive them, and the impact is amazing.”
Last year, the cards introduced hundreds of new people to the mission of Women’s Lunch Place and raised nearly $200,000 to support their work fighting food insecurity. By funding WLP’s Healthy Meals program and individualized services that empower women to make positive changes in their lives, their cards are a gift that gives back.
This year’s Mother’s Day card was designed by Deirdre, whose name has been altered to protect her privacy. Deirdre is a friendly and welcoming presence in the WLP community. A traumatic childhood led her to self-medicate, which led to a substance use disorder and homelessness.
Deirdre has since found sobriety and stability at Women’s Lunch Place, where she visits nearly every day for nutritious meals, Wellness programming, and Advocacy services. She participates in WLP’s addiction recovery program (in partnership with Boston Medical Center), group therapy, and Therapeutic Expressions classes. In March, Deirdre partnered with local artist Janice Hayes-Cha to create a vibrant collage out of repurposed greeting cards.
“Deirdre understates her artistic talent––we noticed her ability when she created a beautiful decoupage design in one of our Therapeutic Expressions classes,” said Henry Morris, Marketing and Communications Manager at Women’s Lunch Place. “We knew she would be a perfect guest artist to collaborate with Janice for this year’s card collage.”
Women’s Lunch Place Mother’s Day cards can be purchased blank or personalized with a message of your choice and sent directly to the recipient. Sponsorships in honor of a loved one that sponsor a day of lunch ($500), breakfast ($300), or fresh fruit ($150) are available in addition to the cards.
Mother’s Day cards can be ordered with a few clicks at mothersdaycards.org or picked up in person at Blackstone’s of Beacon Hill (40 Charles St.) or Mother Juice (291 Newbury St.).